'I had 70 operations after an acid attack while I was volunteering abroad - I'm trying to move forward'

Katie Gee, 29, was near with 35% burns to the close broadside of her look and body, portion her close receptor was 'burnt to a crisp' successful the unprovoked onslaught successful Stone Town, Zanzibar

A pistillate who underwent a staggering 70 operations aft a horrific acerb onslaught successful Zanzibar present feels 'confident' successful her scars. Katie Gee was conscionable 18 years aged erstwhile 2 strangers doused her successful acerb portion she was volunteering successful the historical metropolis of Stone Town.

The devastating battle not lone burned her receptor 'to a crisp' but near the close broadside of her look and assemblage successful 35% burns. She past had nary enactment but to embark connected a achy betterment journey, spending two-and-a-half months successful the burns portion astatine Chelsea and Westminster Hospital.

Now 29, Katie reflected: "I was connected the mode and 2 men connected a motorbike came past. They stopped for fractional a second. I was astir to crook to accidental 'what bash they want?' and arsenic I was turning backmost they threw it.

"I tried to hitch my eyes. I tried to work the fig plate. It started to pain consecutive away. I wasn't definite astatine archetypal if it was a truly blistery cookware of coffee. I had heard of Katie Piper. I enactment 2 and 2 together."

In the moments aft the attack, Katie remembered a edifice she'd antecedently visited with a ablution inside. She ran to it and was shocked astatine what she saw successful the mirror.

"It was a yellow, greenish colour. I was wearing baggy trousers, trainers and a t-shirt and hoodie," she said. "The acerb was burning done the hoodie and burnt disconnected the trousers. My receptor got burnt off. They said it had burnt disconnected similar a crisp."

For the adjacent 3 years, Katie had to deterioration a integrative look disguise portion undergoing 70 surgeries, including 12-hour tegument graft procedures. Not lone has this been achy but 'uncomfortable' too, arsenic strangers often look and friends person adjacent failed to recognise her.

But now, she feels astatine bid with her scars and has adjacent started documenting her communicative connected TikTok to assistance others with assemblage assurance and constitution for scarred skin. She besides went connected to postgraduate from Nottingham University with a 2:1 successful sociology and has spent the past 5 years successful existent estate.

"I privation to beryllium a assemblage affirmative idiosyncratic who is assured successful her scars," she said, and aboriginal added: "Now if idiosyncratic wants to stares I volition conscionable look backmost and marque them consciousness precise uncomfortable. I don't person immoderate shame anymore."

The culprits - who 'smiled' earlier dousing Katie successful acerb - person ne'er been caught implicit the onslaught successful the main metropolis Stone Town. Katie said: "It is inactive thing I deliberation astir each day."

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